Red wine substitute

For each cup of dry red wine, use 1 cup of beef broth with 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar. In sweeter sauces, unsweetened red grape or cranberry juice also works cup for cup.

5 options, scored for what you are making · Checked

Out of red wine mid-recipe?

Tell Sous Chef what you are missing. It swaps the ingredient and rewrites the steps that use it, and keeps your original recipe.

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  1. Beef broth + red wine vinegar

    Great fit

    1 cup beef broth and 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

    For this dish: Deep color and savory flavor suit a beef stew.

    How: Swap the broth in cup for cup and add the vinegar. Taste before salting, since broth is usually salted.

    What changes: Savory and dark, with much less acid and no fruit. Healthline calls beef broth the best match for red wine's color and depth.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  2. Red grape juice

    Works

    1 cup unsweetened red grape juice

    For this dish: Good color, but taste and balance the sweetness with vinegar.

    How: Swap cup for cup and add a splash of red wine vinegar to cut the sweetness.

    What changes: Same color and grape flavor, but much sweeter and with no tannin.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  3. Cranberry juice

    Works

    1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice

    For this dish: Brings acid and fruit, but less depth than wine.

    How: Swap cup for cup. Choose unsweetened or no-sugar-added juice. If it is sweetened, Healthline adds 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

    What changes: Tart and fruity, with a lighter red color.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  4. Tomato juice

    Works

    1 cup tomato juice

    For this dish: Fine in tomato-based stews.

    How: Swap cup for cup, adding it slowly and tasting as you go (Tasting Table).

    What changes: Acid and color, but a tomato flavor that can clash with other ingredients. Healthline suggests mixing it with fruit juice to soften its bitterness.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  5. Red wine vinegar + water

    Avoid

    ½ cup red wine vinegar and ½ cup water

    For this dish: A cup of it can make a long-cooked stew taste sour.

    How: Mix half and half. Taste, and use less if the dish gets too sharp.

    What changes: Much sharper than wine, with no fruit or body. Healthline notes wine vinegar contains trace amounts of alcohol.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

Scores are our editorial judgement from the sources below, not lab tests.

What red wine does in a recipe

Dry red wine adds acidity, fruit, tannin and deep color. It deglazes the pan to lift browned bits, and in braises and marinades its acid helps tenderize meat. A swap should bring liquid, some acid and, ideally, a dark color.

Swap it in your recipe with Sous Chef

A substitution is more than one ingredient line. The steps that use it change too. Sous Chef edits both on a working copy of your recipe, so the original is always one tap away.

You ask Sous Chef

"I don't have red wine."

Sous Chef edits the recipe

1 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth and 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Added to the steps: Swap the broth in cup for cup and add the vinegar. Taste before salting, since broth is usually salted.
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When not to substitute

When red wine is the main flavor, as in coq au vin, a red wine reduction or wine-poached pears, any swap changes the dish a lot. Choose a recipe written without wine. In tested canning recipes, never swap anything.

Common questions

What can I use instead of red wine in beef stew?

Beef broth, cup for cup, with about 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar per cup to add back some acidity.

Does the alcohol cook out of red wine?

Not fully. USDA's table lists about 40% retained after 15 minutes of simmering and about 25% after an hour. Even after 2 hours about 10% remains.

Can I use red wine vinegar instead of red wine?

Yes, but dilute it half and half with water, and use it mostly in marinades and pan sauces. Healthline and Tasting Table both give the 1:1 mix.

Related

Sources

Cook with what you have.

Import any recipe into Sous Chef and ask for the swap. It rewrites the ingredient list and the steps, and never loses the original. Free on iPhone.

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